The Walking Tesseract
by Eloise Gooding III
Summary: "Born of nothing, made of everything. The Tesseract is awake, the queen returns." When a powerful, eccentric character waltzes into S.H.I.E.L.D. like she owns the place, questions of every sort arise. Are the Avengers fighting with her or for her? Is Loki truly the enemy? And why does everyone seem to have so many secrets? Can you even stop the Tesseract?
1. The Queen Returns

_**Born of nothing… made of everything**_

_**The Tesseract is awake… the queen returns**_

_**Her eyes see all truths**_

_**Her beauty is made from light**_

_**All-knowing and curious**_

_**Within her a deadly fight**_

_**The prince demands her**_

_**The army fights strong**_

_**All for a secret**_

_**All for the queen's last song**_

_**Ripped from her palace**_

_**Stolen from her throne**_

_**Throughout all Nine Realms**_

_**She sleeps, but never alone**_

_**~I~**_

Tony Stark grabbed the white towel and used it to wipe the sweat off of his forehead. Bruce Banner stood close behind him, watching from over Tony's shoulder. Both of the scientists were focused on the computer screen. Analyzing Loki's scepter was becoming an issue, and the computers had been slowed down excessively.

A burst of energy turned all power on the floating fortress off temporarily. Only for a second, but enough to cause blackness on all parts of the plane and to cause the whole thing to fall for a couple of seconds before regaining a steady flight path. Tony and Bruce exchanged worried glances in the dark and immediately returned to the scepter. It was gone.

"Loki," muttered Tony and Bruce's hands clenched the edge of the table. From the other side of the lab desk, a hand reached out and grasped the top of the desk. The men leaped back and Tony grabbed a gun off of the wall. A second hand appeared and two arms, struggling to support the weight of a body. The next thing to appear was not the black hair belonging to the Norse God of Mischief, but a wild mess of light blue hair. The owner, clearly female, hoisted the rest of herself up and stood straight before falling back over in a faint.

~I~

"What's going on? Loki's gone!" Natasha Romanoff rushed into the control room and slammed her hands on the meeting table.

"Yes, and we have to deal with this intruder and Loki's missing scepter," continued Nick Fury as he filled in Thor Odinson, Steve Rogers, and Agent Phil Coulson. He seemed a bit calm, but Nick Fury was always thinking about everything.

"Where is she?" Asked Steve, thinking of her well being.

"Right now, we are unaware of her threat level, and she has yet to awaken. We're keeping her where Loki was, until we know if it's safe to allow her to roam around.

"If I could have the chance to see her?" Thor asked, removing his hand from his forehead.

Nick Fury nodded, "Yes, I think that'll be best, maybe we can learn something." Everyone stood and decided to walk down together. Safety in numbers and you never know if anyone will figure something out.

The metal door slid open and they saw Bruce and Tony working at a newly installed machine.

"Can't get any accurate data, it just keeps jumping all over the place," Tony said, not even looking up at the team.

"We've been picking up gamma rays, but the next second they've been reduced and then burst up to dangerous levels. It's like a pulse…" Bruce added as he fiddled with the computer.

Thor walked over to the glass chamber and stared at the creature within. She resembled no being from any of the Realms he had been to. She looked like one of the goddesses on Asgard or a being from Midgard, but her hair was a blue hue. Not the blue of a Frost Giant, but a bright blue with the faintest trace of glitter. She wore a dress woven from silver thread, but it was tattered and ripped in several places.

"Any ideas?" Steve Rogers came up behind the Norse god and put a hand on his shoulder.

"None. I do not recognize her," Thor admitted, but he did not tear his eyes away from the sleeping lump in the middle of the chamber, "When will she awaken?"

"Who knows?" Tony answered nonchalantly, and it was clear he was more concerned about typing into the computer than actually looking at the creature.

"Is she… dead?" Natasha ventured closer as well, knowing she would be safe.

"Nope," said Tony, "But if she were we could get way more data," he added under his breath and Bruce snorted. Nick Fury watched from behind. They all stood in silence, except for Stark and Banner who kept shuffling papers and pressing buttons.

The lights in the room flickered. The plane dropped a second time and everyone on board felt it in their stomachs. The lights turned back on for good and everyone gently let go of the railing. Looking back into the glass cage, they watched as the woman slowly stood up. Her blue hair was in her face, and quite frankly, it was such a mess that it stuck out in every direction. It was incredibly longed and just brushed the bottom of her back. She quickly brushed it behind her and revealed her face to all the onlookers. Average features, and two eyes just like everyone else. However, these eyes were different. They were bluer than her hair and if the light hit them perfectly, they practically glowed. No human had eyes with colors and swirls like these.

"Who are you?" Demanded Thor as he banged his fist on the glass. The girl took a step back, but afterwards, she walked towards Thor and put out a hand.

"Stand back," Demanded Nick Fury and most of the Avengers drew away. Most of them… Thor kept his hand on the glass. The women inside the chamber laughed. It came out echoing and seemed to hang in the air around everyone.

She cocked her head to the side and stared into Thor's. Her eyes seemed to know everything, but a look of confusion found its way onto her face.

"Thor Odinson?" She grinned, but it wasn't a deranged or evil smile. It was a goofy grin, as if she were a child or a friend.

She took another step forward and fell onto the ground, passed out yet again.


	2. Energy Levels Rising

Loki panted as he stood up in the middle of the desert he had landed in. As soon as the lights were down he knew it was only a matter of time before the whole plane crash. He smiled as he examined his body. No wounds, and yet it was a risky escape. He felt a surge of power rush through him and his magic stick materialized in his hand. Now that S.H.I.E.L.D. had more problems to deal with, Loki had time to check up on his slaves working on the Tesseract.

~I~

"What the hell was that? You said you didn't know her," Nick Fury stuck a finger into Thor's chest. Thor stood, dumb-founded.

"I do not know her," he rebutted, "But… there is something."

"Well, while you two duke it out on her identity, science wins again," Tony interrupted, "When she woke up we got a definite read and it would explain the hair and the eye thing…"

Bruce stared at her as she lay in the chamber, "I would say this may shock you, but considering who and where we all are... I'm not so sure it will."

"Well, enough dancing, out with it." Fury turned to the scientists.

"This girl, _is _the Tesseract," Tony explained, "She's pretty much made of energy, it flows through her veins. Can't be human or else she'd be dead, and all the data matches up exactly with the research on the Tesseract."

"So what does this mean?" Natasha asked.

Fury had heard what he wanted to hear, "It means that wherever Loki is, he doesn't have the Tesseract."

"That means he's looking for it and is going to be more driven than ever," Noted Steve.

~I~

Loki walked through the lab he had set up for the mortals. Some watched as he went by, but ducked as he looked at them. Something was not going right.

"Boss?" A bold scientist approached him from behind. The god slowly turned on his heels to face him. He didn't say anything.

"We, uh, we've got a problem downstairs," he stammered out.

"Well, what are telling me for? Fix it, you incompetent mortal," Loki demanded, but the scientist didn't back down.

"Uh, you see… we kind of… lost… the Tesseract," as soon as he had finished the sentence, a small knife had lodged itself in his chest. Loki didn't bother to pull it out and instead marched straight downstairs. At the moment he felt rage, but fear swallowed him as he thought of what might happen to him if he should fail. Forced to shake it off, he continued marching. He had a plan… he always had a plan.

~I~

The members of S.H.I.E.L.D. sat around the large table. Some stood, and some sat, but they were all in a general area.

"Any plans?" Steve inquired and turned to look at Fury.

"Mainly, keep Loki from finding out about… _her_," Nick thought aloud as he turned to face everyone, "We can't do much until she wakes up."

"Is this going to change anything?" Asked Natasha and added thoughtfully, "Drastically?"

"Well it certainly changes Loki's plans," Tony sipped from a bottle of cold beer, "I guess Banner isn't going to rip us to shreds as we fall from the sky."

"And boy am I thankful for it," Bruce smiled and rocked back and forth on his heels.

"We are grateful, my friend," smiled Thor and Bruce smiled back awkwardly.

"_She's up," _came Phil Coulson's static voice into their head-pieces. Everyone jumped and rushed together into the holding room for the Tesseract.

And there she stood in the middle of a round glass chamber. Dress clinging to her body, but ripped to shreds. Hair long and gorgeous and blue, but in such tangles it was more than a rat's nest. Her eyes shut and her hands on the sides of her head, fingers in her hair. It looked like she had a headache or was trying to shut out sounds.

The door slid shut silently, but the gang walking in caused a bit of a ruckus. Her eyes were open in a flash.

"Answer time," Nick Fury walked up to the glass. She didn't say anything, but cocked her head like a puppy. Anyone watching realized how young she actually was. If she _were _human she would probably be about twenty to twenty-five.

"I said, answers," Fury spoke again, this time more forcefully.

"But you didn't ask a question," She pointed out, but didn't stop their, "Technically the definition of an answer is a response to an interrogative statement. If there is no original interrogative statement than statements thereafter cannot be answers, they are just declarative statements. As I communicate now, all of my statements have been declarative and most likely not what you want to hear. But that would mean I was making assumptions about you with out knowing your character. Please, hold for a moment while I search the archives for you."

She stopped talking, but still didn't seem to have breathed. Everyone stared at her in amazement and confusion.

"Nick Fury?" She asked and smiled.

"That's me, but how the hell do you know that?"

"I am the Tesseract. I see all. In fact-"

Nick cut her off, "Enough useless chatter, please try to answer the questions I ask."

She closed her mouth and looked a bit surprised.

"Oh, I'll try," She was quiet for about three seconds before she started bouncing up and down. Tony went over to the computer station and pushed some buttons. A holographic screen appeared in front of him and he started moving around graphs and data. The Tesseract bounced a bit more before beginning to walk in circles.

"This chick is literally made of energy, if she isn't talking, she's gotta be moving," Tony observed.

"Why are you here?" Nick asked her. She stopped moving and answered him.

"You put me in here!" She smiled at him, but it was obviously she was clenching her jaw to keep from talking.

"Who are you?"

"Petty being, I'm the Tesseract."

"How do you know about that? It's a super secret project," Fury wasn't buying in.

"I think she's telling the truth, sir," Steve stepped forward. Fury looked at him and he stepped back.

"I think she just called us petty," Nick turned to look at her. She was bouncing up and down but she smirked at him. Her eyes scanned the rest of the crowd before landing once again on Thor.

"Why do you have such an interest in me?" Thor walked forward.

She furrowed her brow and lifted one of the corners of her mouth.

"You aren't from Midgard, Thor Odinson. Yet you prance around as if you belong here. May I ask how your brother is doing?" She answered his question and by asking one of her own, had raised many, many more.

"What do you know of my brother?" Thor demanded. Fury held in arm infront of him.

"What don't I know?" She smiled.

"Okay, everyone needs to calm down. Her energy levels are sky-rocketing. Well, technically they're always sky-rocketing, but you get it. If she doesn't calm down soon, the whole place might blow power," Reported Banner, tinkering on a separate screen.

"Oh? So if you know everything," Tony Stark stepped forward with his arms crossed, "What color boxers am I wearing?"

"That's a pointless thing to ask," She wrinked her nose.

"Oh?" Tony smirked, thinking she was dodging the question.

"Yes, because you aren't wearing any," she stared at his crotch a bit disgusted. Natasha and Thor suppressed chuckles and Bruce and Steve exchanged exasperated looks.

"Well, she's the real deal. First woman to ever answer that correctly, I might add," Tony defended her without any blush or signs of embarrassment. Actually, he looked a bit too proud of the fact.

"So what are we going to do with you?" Fury pointed out the elephant in the room.


	3. Caffeinated Beverages

"A name?" Piped up the gentlemanly Steve Rogers, "I mean, what should we call her?"

"She's not a pet," Tony pointed out.

"But she's not a science experiment either," argued Steve.

"I'm on Rogers side with this one. Keeping her identity under wraps from as many people possible could give us an edge," Nick Fury concluded. Steve stepped forward and cautiously approached the glass.

"Do you have a name? What people call you?" He asked her.

"I am the Tesseract. The beings call me the Tesseract. I do not see how I can make it any simpler. Human brains are believed to have a capacity of 2.5 petabytes. A normal human cannot store that much in a lifetime. Surely your brains are not filling up to capacity. Is there an actual reason to why you don't understand? I am the Tesseract. Perhaps my power is too much for a being to hold, but taking the form of a being is no difficult task, for I am not a being, though I may appear as one. I look and compare to you in front of me, but I still am and will remain to be the Tesseract."

"Tony, I think you've been out-scienced," Natasha crossed her arms smiled.

"I say we just give her a name and move on," Tony said. And most of them nodded, but didn't offer up any suggestions.

"Tony Jr? I mean it's not that hard to think of a name," Tony encouraged them.

"I am the Tesser-" She began again.

"Hold it in, Tesseract," Ordered Nick Fury and she bit down on her tongue.

"Wait that's it! She just said it. Tessa?" Suggested Steve Rogers. No one argued or could think of anything better.

"Fitting," nodded Bruce.

"Tessa?" Steve turned to her. She didn't immediately respond.

"Oh," she noticed him, "Right, that is my name here in Midgard."

"Why are you informed as such about the Realms?" Thor asked.

"Thor Odinson, how can you still not know? I am the Tesseract after all," She furrowed her brows and stared at him, troubled.

"I am tired of your tricks," he growled at her.

"I am tired of your ignorance," she snapped at him, "All of your life, you have heard stories, no? As a kid, there were tales, stories. Do you not remember?"

Thor clenched his jaw, but Tessa continued.

"I know you know, now. I am who you think I am," she went on as she pressed her hands up the glass, "I am the Tesseract.

"Translation, please?" Tony asked watching the staredown.

"The Tesseract is standing before us. It is safe to release her. She is wise and kind," Thor said not taking his eyes off of her as if he didn't believe what he just said. Everyone turned to Nick Fury. It was his call. Nick was seen thinking. He walked over to the control panel pushed some buttons and the door to her chamber slid open.

"Will someone please give this girl some clothing?"

~I~

Tessa stood in Tony and Bruce's lab, wearing a borrowed pair of jeans and a gray t-shirt. She insisted on running around bare-foot, but consented to using the hairbrush. Her hair turned out to be wavy and hit her just past the bottom of her butt. The clothes fit well, but the shirt was a bit tight for her liking.

Tony and Bruce were working on tracking Loki through his scepter or movement or anything. It was only a matter of time, if what he wanted was standing right next to them.

Tessa clenched the cup in her hands.

"It's safe, just drink it," Tony insisted.

She took a wary sip and her eyes lit up.

"What did you give her, anyway?" Asked Bruce from his workspace.

Tony smirked, "Coffee."

Tessa drank another sip, this time bigger and then gulped down more of the hot beverage.

"Thanks so much for giving me these clothes. It's great the Natasha Romanoff had no need for them. Bruce Banner, it is not a good idea for you to give Tony Stark dirty looks. Dirty looks imply negative feelings towards the other and considering you are lab partners it is best to not harness negative feelings. Gamma levels rising." she coughed and continued, "You two have bonded over science, I sensed it right away. You smell of scientific knowledge. Tony Stark, thank you for the beverage, I have never consumed liquid from Midgard, but you say it is safe, and you do not lie. This beverage seems to be warm, and tastes of… cacao bean. I am aware this beverage is coffee. There is a faint trace of vanilla, but the bitterness seems to radiate from the cup. It appears I am now an expert in coffee, thank you for allowing me to process this knowledge. Is there any other food to sample? Chronoton particles shifting!"

She coughed again, but carried on speaking, "What sort of sciences do you study? Nevermind, I know the answer now. It seems foolish of me to ask questions if I can just grasp for the answer. That's the power of the Tesseract. May I look at your work? It does not matter, I will anyway. My, that does look simple. You should search for more data if you can. Pho-pho-pho-photons!"

She coughed again and ball of light escaped from her lips. The blue light scattered and disappeared.

"What did you do?" Bruce turned to Tony. Tony just watched her as she coughed again, more light came out. She grasped her stomach with one hand and the corner of a table with the other. The coffee cup slid from her grasp and crashed onto he floor. She coughed again and a small light cube fell out of her mouth and onto the ground. It appeared as a small version of the Tesseract cube. She picked it up and held it between her thumb and forefinger. She quickly crushed into a powder and her skin absorbed the residue.

"Alright, no more caffeine," concluded Tony and entered all of his observations into the computer. Steve announced his presence from the doorway.

"You think? Did you have any idea what was going to come out of this?" Steve scolded as he always does.

"Well, I know how to find Loki," Tony stared at his computer screen. Bruce walked over and looked. He nodded his head and they both turned to Tessa. She hovered her hand over the spilled coffee and closed her fingers, causing the coffee to dissolve. She looked up.

"Oh. It's me?" She asked with wide blue eyes.


	4. Mouse and the Cheese

"Can we ask you a question?" Tony walked over to her.

"You just did. And I'm sure you are fully capable of finding the answer on your own," she stood up from where she was squatting. The mess now gone with nothing left.

"Where is Loki?" Tony asked, "You know everything, where is he?"

"My goodness, I'm not Heimdall! I can't just guess. I have to know. I reach out into time and space and pull out an answer based on what I know or have seen. Loki's whereabouts are shrouded in mystery, I am talking to him and cannot tell you anything about him. My knowledge may seem limitless as first, but I assure it's not. Not while I'm in this form," she answered and sat down on top of the table.

"That's what I was afraid of," Banner pushed his glasses up the ridge of his nose.

Nick Fury walked in, "Well, we've hit a dead end. We know nothing of Loki's whereabouts and the Tesseract is protected."

"Well, can't we fix that?" Tony asked, always thinking of something risky, but effective, "I mean if a dead end is bad to you guys as much as it is to me…"

"What sort of idiotic plan did you have in mind this time?" Steve asked.

"We've got what Loki wants. We can pull an old Tom and Jerry and lure the mouse with the cheese," Tony crossed his arms."

"Mouse? There is no mouse. Ah, I comprehend that this is a metaphor. Continue," Interupted Tessa.

"It's way too risky, Stark, what if Loki gets a hold of her? Then we've lost," Fury shot the idea down.

"But she's not an inanimate object anymore," Tony pointed out, "If she's on our side, then she can protect herself."

"And she's on our side?" Nick Fury peered at Tessa with his one eye.

"Thor trusts her," Bruce jumped in on the conversation.

"It's odd, how you quarrel about my future actions when I am sitting here. I have a free will. If there are these 'sides' you speak of, then I am nobody's side. If anything, I wish to leave here altogether, but Loki's grasp is not a place where I would enjoy staying, either. I may have grown fond of you little humans, but I do not think this war has any true side for me."

"There you go-" Fury started.

"I am unfinished. I will aid you mortals since I owe Thor… a favor, nay... a token of my gratitude. Plus, it is always a treat to watch Loki be humiliated, the poor thing. I will do as you ask and search for Loki."

"Woah, I never approved of this mission, missy, and if you are on board this ship, team or not, you better obey my orders."

Tessa got off the desk and stared at Nick Fury, "The command is sitting on your tongue. I will pull it off for you."

"That won't be necessary, I like to use my own mouth, thanks," he turned on his headpiece, "We're taking Tessa to the ground. Take her to our base in Albuquerque, we have some of our best men down there already. Perhaps, Jane Foster might know a thing or two about our pal."

"And M.C. Hammer?" Tony asked, knowing of the god's past with Jane.

"Stays on board," decided Fury. He didn't want to endanger the only other person on this ship that has information on Loki.

~I~

The door swung shut and Tessa was left in the room to wait for Jane. Apparently, Foster had been stationed somewhere else and had to be flown back to New Mexico just for this plan. Except Jane didn't know the plan. Assuming she wasn't back yet, Tessa walked around the room she was in. It was very small and plain and resembled the room where Stark and Banner worked. The only difference she could spot was that this place was less adorned with technology. Books lay open on the table, old computers sat in the corner, and a dusty old mirror took up some room by the door. She walked over to the mirror and admired her reflection.

"Not bad," she muttered as she turned this way and that, "A bit short, for a queen, but it will do."

"I like it," came a voice from behind her. She turned around and saw Loki standing in his armor. Looking at the mirror again, she recognized his reflection as it appeared.

"Loki, your tricks have done much harm to this realm… and your brother worries," she pouted at him.

"My brother does not know of my power. I am a King," he hissed at her. Thor was always a touchy subject for him.

She tut-tutted him, "You are no more of a King as I am a mortal. I look like one, as do you dress like a Lord, but if there is one thing I know, it is that you will never be _my _King."

He smirked at her, "Your power makes me envious, but surely you have seen what fools these mortals be. Come with me and we can rule them together."

She scoffed at him, " You are not my equal, nor will you ever be. I do not need your help if I wished to rule this Realm. In fact, it is the people whose name you discard that is the reason why I am here. I declare that all I want is peace in the Realms. If you agree now, no one else has to get hurt. You don't have to fail."

"Why are you so certain I will fail?"

"Have you not figured it out yet? You are Loki. It is in your nature."

"Well, I am the one with a weapon, now. Who do you think will fail in this situation?"

"You do not wish to do this."

Loki held up his scepter and held it at her chest, "I need you, and it would be more helpful if you came willingly."

"No. Stop," she said monotonously. The scepter glowed with life, but a burst of blue energy through Loki off his feet.

"Guards are swarming this place now, Loki," she said and rocked back and forth on her feet while waiting for him to get up. Slowly, Loki got to his feet. He heard the heavy footfall of approaching men. With one swift movement, he lunged forward and threw her over his shoulder. In a flash, they were gone.


	5. 2 point 56 billion years

The first thing Tessa noticed about her new surroundings was that it was dark and damp. Clearly, Loki took her somewhere underground. In this room, two adjacent walls were concrete, but the other two were glass. The glass walls allowed the occupants of this room to look out upon some sort of lab, where all sorts of scrambling fellows worked. There wasn't a lot of furniture in this room, it was quite small, but large enough for Loki and Tessa to walk around comfortably.

Loki gently pulled her off of his shoulder and laid her on the ground, which was also made of concrete. He snapped his fingers and she now wore a long silver evening gown, similar to the one she first appeared in, but all in one piece. She propped herself up on her elbows.

"You know, if you had something like this in mind, all you had to do was ask nicely," she smiled at him. The first charming smile she had given anyone while she was here. Oddly enough, it was to Loki, who was quite a charmer himself.

"And what exactly do I have in mind?" Loki smirked, his suit was enough to make any girl swoon. Of course, this was the Tesseract, not girl.

"Using my powers to help open a portal for your army of Chitauri into Midgard so you can rule over the mortals as their king," she replied without taking a breath.

"You're good," smirked Loki and a goblet appeared and sat in the air as it filled itself with mead. He grabbed it and took a sip.

"That's why you need me," she smiled and ran a hand through her hair. A shower of what appeared as glitter fell out of her blue locks. She pinched the glitter in her hand and blew on it. She smiled at him as her image slowly faded.

Loki's wicked smile turned into a look of confusion, "What?" He lunged forward onto her, but landed on the floor. She had pulled a classic Loki, and disappeared.

"No!" He roared.

~I~

Tessa materialized in an almost empty room on the S.H.I.E.L.D. plane. It was a room she was unfamiliar with, a bar on one side and a small sofa on the other. Sitting on the red couch was Tony Stark, his leg crossed over the other and a tan colored drink in his hand. He smiled at her arrival.

"Heard that you disappeared from New Mexico," He said. He got up and walked over to the mini bar.

"Drink?" He offered her.

"Coffee?" Her eyes lit up.

"How about some wine?"

"Wine. A Midgardian drink composing of fermented grapes, adapted by the residents of Asgard. I would love a glass," she smiled.

"Nice dress. Loki?" He asked as he poured out two glasses of red wine.

"Yes, a token to make me nostalgic. Loki wishes to open a portal for his army. I also have steady coordinates on his location," she announced proudly and accepted the glass Stark held out to her. He didn't say anything yet.

"Aren't you going to 'call it in'?" She asked him. She stood in front of him. She thought she towered over him, but now that they were so close, it was evident that he was good few inches taller than her. His breath already smelled of alcohol. She took another sip of the wine in her glass.

"They'll figure it out eventually," he said. The statement wasn't incorrect, so she found no reason to argue. Her foot started tapping in the silence. Moving came naturally to her and she couldn't help but remain in motion. She took another sip of the wine. Tony sat on the couch again.

"So, tell me about yourself," he prompted. Silence was never his thing. Also, this was a good opportunity to find out what science could not reveal about the Tesseract. Her dress shone, her hair sparkled, and her eyes were radiant. S.H.I.E.L.D. never had a shortage of pretty women working there, but Tessa's beauty was incomparable.

"I am the Tesseract, I was not made by the world. The world was made by me. I have a rich history and can recite it, if you like. Long and boring to a mortal like you. Would probably take about two-point-five-six-billion years," she smiled at him, "And you? You are Tony Stark, scientist, rich man, young."

"Young?" He grinned at her. She finished her beverage and he offered her more.


	6. Three and a Half Bottles

Three and a half bottles of wine and a few other drinks later, Tony and Tessa sat giggling on the red sofa. They had always found something to talk about be it science, puppies, or other Realms. Of course, neither would remember these discussions in the morning.

"Tony Stark, you are a good friend," she concluded as she raised an empty wine glass and she brought to her lips, looking down confused when she saw it was empty. Tony, who could usually hold alcohol well, was becoming a bit tipsy as well. Instead moving, when silent, Tessa found the need to giggle to let out energy.

"And you are a pretty piece of space energy," Tony said, his speech barely slurred. He looked at her and leaned in. He pressed his lips onto hers, but she pulled away. She didn't know what he was doing, but quickly scanned for knowledge.

"A kiss, beings lock lips to show affection or passion towards one another. Shared between two people and lasts as long as desired," she recited. He pulled her in again and this time she was more receptive. She returned the kiss and did not argue when he nudged his tongue into her mouth. Everything was new to her, but she acted like an expert in every field.

~I~

Tony woke up in the morning on the same sofa, his clothes discarded on the floor. There was no sign of the Tesseract. He quickly got it together, and walked out of his room. He didn't exactly know where to go, yet. His head pounded like hell, and he only remembered bits of last night. A bit disappointed that he couldn't remember those wines that S.H.I.E.L.D. had offered him, he continued down the hallway.

He entered the control room and saw the agents at their stations calmly flying the plaine. Nick Fury stood over them, watching. At the large table sat Steve Rogers and Tessa, in the old clothes given to her in the first few days.

"Tony Stark!" She smiled brightly at him as he entered. She didn't seem the least bit hung over.

"When'd you get up?" He asked, not caring if he was revealing that he knew she was back last night.

"Get up? I never was down. Oh you mean when I awoke this morning. I didn't. I never fell asleep last night. I never fell asleep ever. I'm pretty much an energy source to you humans, you think I would cease to stop?" Her tone was a bit too haughty for his liking, but he may have just been imagining it.

"She wandered into this room at about two a.m. last night and nearly gave Agent Coulson a heart attack. Said she was with you. Now why, Stark, would she be with you without my knowledge?" Nick Fury turned to him and Rogers watched in an awkward silence.

"Uh, because," offered up Tony as he sat sideways in a chair.

"Well, we've got definite coordinates on Loki, but we've been at a loss of ideas," Fury said, "And you know us. Usually, we can be rather… creative."

"Well did you talk to the Tesseract?" Tony asked. He didn't really want to deal with this right now.

"She's allowed to give input and not orders. All her ideas are… risky and include the loss of many of our men."

"That's new."

"The best thing to do right now is to lay low."

"We're in a giant airplane, flying above… somewhere and carrying loads of weapons and a source of energy that is uncontrollable. Laying low, seems a bit far-fetched."

"Loki knows that we know where he is, don't you think he'd be more focused on moving while he can?" Piped in Steve Rogers, who is actually a rather good strategist.

"You would think that, but this is Loki we're talking about," entered Bruce Banner who just came in, "I mean that guy is not right in the head."

"He will not move," prophesized Tessa, "He expects my return. Nay, he _craves _my return. He cannot leave if I am to go back to him. I would lose the, ah, 'scent'."

"Let's call everyone in before we make a decision," Nick Fury pushed his long coat back and placed his hands on his hips.


	7. Haughty is the Queen

Another group meeting. If there was one thing Nick Fury tried to avoid it was a group meeting. Of course, the other thing he tried to avoid was dead ends and he had one of those on his hands too.

Thor stood in the corner, his arms crossed and Tessa kept stealing glances at him.

"Let's start simple," Nick Fury put his hands on the table, "What do we need to accomplish?"

"Well," Bruce Banner explained, "We have the Tesseract, but Loki has Barton and Selvig, two very valuable members of S.H.I.E.L.D. We have to be careful about the way we get Loki."

Thor decided to add his two cents, "All I require is that Loki is returned safely to Asgard."

Tessa opened her mouth to speak up too, but Nick Fury quickly interjected, "So how are we going to accomplish that?"

"We need to capture Loki," shrugged Tony and added, "Duh."

They sat in silence for a bit, but everyone was thinking the same thing.

"Alright, alright, I'll do it!" Tessa said, she stopped shaking her leg.

"No," Fury shot the idea down to the ground, "Absolutely not, we need the Tesseract to stay safe and as near to us as possible. We can't have another New Mexico scare."

"We can send in Point Break," Tony pointed his thumb at Thor.

"My name is Thor Odinson," he corrected Tony, "And… I highly doubt my brother will be very welcoming of me."

"We can all confront him," Steve Rogers suggested, "Like an army."

"Loki does not need to fight an army. He possesses his own. He needs compassion!" Thor banged his fist on the table and a large crack showed up. He cleared his throat and backed away from the table.

"It seems to me, that you tend to be a bit biased towards your brother. Odd, due to the fact that he is not your brother, but I can comprehend nonetheless. However, capturing Loki would be more effective if it was done with wits and not force. The problem does remain that Loki is cunning himself. Beating him at his own game will prove to be a puzzle for you all-" She could have kept going if Steve did not interrupt her.

"Us? For… us all? You have no intention on helping us protect our home?"

She turned sharply to Steve and scowled in his direction, "You humor me. You do not even know what you are fighting for. What you are protecting. Or what you are going up against. In fact, Thor was probably a small child when something like this happened the first time."

"Do you speak of the time my father, Odin, slayed the Frost Giants?"

"Is that all they told you about that day?" She interrogated. When there was no response she huffed, "Well. Loki seems to know. Of course, he would know if he merely a stolen relic from that day, himself."

"Why do you degrade my brother?" Thor demanded. Tessa grew haughtier and more arrogant by the second. No one liked it. She sensed this and got up and left to cool off. Maybe on her own, she would think of something wise to please these beings, she thought to herself.

~I~

Tessa found herself drawn to the flight deck, where smaller aircraft slept. She sat with her legs out in front of her in the shade of a jet. Her legs dangling off the edge of the aircraft.

She watched as a small black plane hovered nearby. She quickly looked at it with her all-seeing eyes and smiled. So, Loki has sent in an agent of his own to do his bidding? How cute. She watched as a small black device was launched off the jet and onto one of the four massive engines of the hovering fortress. She felt the plane tip, but sat still waiting to see what would happen. A good-sized group of men parachuted out of the black jet and landed. One of the men, she identified as Clint Barton, one of the people Bruce Banner had mentioned.

Curious. She stood up and banged her head on the wing of the fighter plane she sat under. She muttered in a dead language and stood again, more carefully this time. Something very serious was about to go down. Should she fight? Yes. But the Tesseract is clever. Being what she was, she already had a strategy. Go right to the source. It was time she had a serious discussion with Loki, and convince him to stop.


	8. The Last PopTart

Tessa ducked out of sight and nearly fell down as something else shook the plane. Perhaps it would be better id she let S.H.I.E.L.D. deal with this. Telling them of her plans to leave, would only add to their stress right now. She took a fistful of her hair and held it in front of her face. She blew on the glittering powder in her hair and she closed her eyes.

When she allowed her eyes to finally open, she was staring straight into the eyes of the God of Mischief himself. His gaze was distant, but she swore that his face was only inch away from hers. It was as if he was… somewhere else. She took a step back and watched as he blinked. Once, twice, and then he quickly turned his head away, taking no notice of her.

"Loki," she whispered and he sharply turned to look at her, a more wary look on his face than last time. He was breathing heavily, but his eyes twinkled with a spark of amusement.

"You couldn't resist," he said, his voice breathy.

"Loki Laufeyson, you stop this right now. All you need to do is go back to Asgard. You were happy. Remember the past? Remember those times? What happened to you, Loki? You… were happy," she stepped closer to him and cupped his cheek in her hand. He quickly shrugged it off.

"It's too late! All that happiness, it was a lie. I don't remember anything, nothing was true. My mind makes up these realities, and I don't know what is what. It's too late, going back won't help!" He started to raise his voice. Tessa took a step back, "I can't go back! Not now! Not after everything I've risked. I need to do this. These humans need to be ruled. I'm doing this for them! And. I. Don't. Need. You!"

He swung his arm and slapped her across the face. Tessa fell onto the ground and grabbed her stinging cheek. She laughed.

"You don't need me? Ha, you hold that scepter, but do you forget whose power it yields? You have an army, but do you forget where they are? Loki, I am the Tesseract. I am the key to your plan, saying you do not need me is music to my ears because that means you wish to give this up. To give me up. To run home!"

"No!" He yelled at her stiffly and she stared at him stunned. She saw nothing but a young child. And a tear of pity and fear rolled down her cheek.

"Now if you excuse me, I have a brother to get rid of and a plane to help crash," he choked out. Tessa reached out to him, but it was too late. He was gone. She looked around. She walked into the open. There were less people running around, than last time and she wondered if it was because of Loki's rage or because they were fighting on a plane. The men that were around paid her little or no attention. They were given no orders regarding her. So Tessa sat down on the ground… and watched.

~I~

Loki returned with a sadistic and triumphant smile, but it looked as if he had fought with someone. Tessa quickly glanced at him and immediately knew who. He looked at her with disdain.

"Oh, you're still here, are you?" He said to her.

"Yes, Loki, I and I strongly advise to-" She started, but he waved his hand in her direction and a strip of green fabric wove its way around her mouth and fastened behind her head. The gag didn't stop her from talking, "smpmh fffgn ghrffmnsh rmm."

Loki twisted his hand and the piece of fabric tightened, silencing her at last. She pawed at it with her hands, but it wouldn't come off.

"It's so ironic, how you created the Realms that will lead to your downfall," Loki was growing cocky. She gave him an icy glare and in the lighting, her eyes seemed to be glowing.

"It's time," one of the scientists said to Loki and he pushed the scientist away. Loki held out his hand to Tessa, but she didn't take it. Loki roughly grabbed her arm and he forced her to move.

~I~

Tessa, built of energy, was not used to being tied down to chairs. A blue glow of her power emanated around her and would flare up occasionally. The light pulsed around her in a beautiful display, but the girl herself was no sight to look at. Sitting in one of the chairs from Stark Tower, her arms were bound behind her back and her legs to the chair. He hair swept the ground and rested in front of one of her eyes. She sat facing the window and watched with wide eyes as Tony Stark approached in his Iron Man suit.

She tried to send her power in Loki's direction, but his scepter and his magic were too strong. It was like she was trying to fight herself. Harm the scepter, harm herself.

Tessa closed her eyes, as if trying to will Tony to keep his armor on. She opened again and he was walking down the steps with machines hungrily stripping him of the large metal suit. She would have let out a sigh if the muzzle had let her. Loki smirked as Tony entered the room. He saw her and stopped short.

Loki entered from the other side of the floor-to-ceiling window. Seeing Tony's shock caused his grin to grow only wider. Knowing Stark, Tessa silently urged him with her eyes that she could handle the situation. Tony didn't buy it, but continued on to play it off cool.

"Drink?" Asked Tony as he walked behind the bar. Tessa's mouth instantly tasted of wine, but as she pictured the red liquid and saw Loki, the taste soon turned to that of blood.

"Stalling me won't help," Loki whispered, his eyes fixed transfixed on Stark.

"Not stalling. I'm threatening you," Tony said, "You sure you don't want one? No? I'm having one," he added the last sentence under his breath as he began moving bottles around searching for what he wanted.

"Anything for you, Tessa?" Tony looked over his shoulder at the bound lady. Her eyes twinkled and she nodded her head up and down vigorously. Loki's long fingers clenched the top of her head and dug their way through her hair. He held her head upwards so that her neck was exposed and left her quite uncomfortable.

"No. The Tesseract hasn't any time for drinks. She's a bit tied up at the moment," Loki answered for her, "In fact, allowing her to consume anything from this Realm would cause a… negative outcome."

Tony gulped thinking back to everything Tessa had previously consumed: The coffee, the last PopTart, the ramen, the wine, the booze, the mashed potatoes, the fried chicken, the apple juice…

Tessa sent a surge of energy rippling through her body. Her hair flew out in all directions before settling back down again and Loki painfully drew his hand backwards. The blue energy waves burst and then continued to pulse slowly around Tessa. The sound was quite unpleasant. A loud crack and then the searing of flesh as Loki's hand was removed from her head. Tessa's head felt fuzzy. She struggled to focus on the conversation between the two tall men. Slowly working at her bonds, she knew it was no use.

Her eyelids drooped, but summoning power, she willed herself to stay conscious.

She watched through tearful eyes as her dear friend, Tony Stark was thrown from his own window.


	9. Reduced to Stardust

Tessa would have cried out after Tony or she would have scolded Loki, but there were two things holding her back. The muzzle and the knowledge that Tony was going to be okay. A rumbling came from her right. Loki's eyes widened and Tessa turned her head to see why.

The Iron Man suit came flying after it's owner. Tessa's eyes widened, but she didn't have any time to react. Directly in its flight path, she couldn't even try to scoot out of the way. The suit hit her hard and the force caused her to f all out of the gaping hole in the window.

She plunged through the air, but she didn't cry out because of the gag. Actually, she wasn't sure if she would have anyway. The chair tumbled around and she could sometimes see Tony Stark as he fell beneath her. The suit latched onto his body and was visibly electrically charged. Blue lights flowed through the circuits of the suit and as soon as it was done forming, Iron Man flew upwards with the suit at twelve-hundred percent power.

Tessa, who wasn't as lucky to have a metal suit save her landed in the middle of a street with large crash. Tumbling, rolling, and skidding to a stop, she flew a few feet in the air before landing for a final time. The wooden chair wasn't used to so much exertion and immediately broke into bits at first contact with the ground. The ropes holding her down snapped and her limbs splayed in the air as she somersaulted painfully on the ground. The gag Loki had fitted to her dissolved, pure force beating magic in the end.

She lay on the ground on her back. Arms splayed out to the left and legs like twigs sticking out of very ripped and ruined jeans. _Natasha Romanoff will be disappointed when I show her_, Tessa would later think. Her face resembled that of a fish. Eyes wide open and mouth agape. Her complexion was dangerously pale.

Onlookers rushed to her side, but were thrown back by some invisible force. Tessa just lay on the ground, her chest heaving. Staring up at the sky she saw Iron Man as he flew to safety. And looking at Stark Tower, she could see a small green man's helmet looking out the window down at her. Her look of shock changed into that of disappointment. Slowly, she sat up. She rolled her head about her neck and heard a reassuring crack.

People still tried to get to her to see if she needed any medical attention, but her energy field was so strong that it caused them to fly backwards off their feet. A man with a gun tried to shoot at her, but the bullet bounced off of her like a bouncy ball.

"Oh, now I'm the bad guy," she said and put her hands up defensively, "You don't know how powerful I could be."

She snapped her fingers a car parked a little ways over flipped over and flew into the base of Stark Tower. She ran over to it, jumped on top of it and flew into the air and back on the large balcony.

Loki, his expression worried, switched back to a smirk as soon as he saw her.

"Loki, I swear, you do not want to do this. Now that I have been freed, you know it isn't worth it. Loki look at those humans down there," she paused to let him look, but he didn't so she went on, "What have they ever done to you? I understand your pain Loki, but that's simply it. It's _your _pain. We all have issues, don't we? Why are you different? You are a God? You are not any god of mine. I have no god and I will do all in my power to stop you Loki. Peace in the Realms is all I ever wanted. And think of how ironic it will be when the only ally you ever had takes you down. I'm not doing anything for you. In fact, I'm not doing this for Thor, anymore. I'm not even doing this for me. I'm doing this for all of us."

"No! You know what happened when I tried to do something for everybody? Do you know how I felt when I was doing good? It felt great! I knew I could do it. I'd make Thor proud. I'd make father proud. I'd make YOU proud! But they told me no! And how is this any different?" Loki's face showed so much emotion it almost made Tessa cry.

"LOKI!" Her voice bellowed and echoed throughout the city. It took a new sound and it almost wasn't like a voice at all.

"You can't stop it now!" Loki grabbed her and all of a sudden they were on the roof. She struggled and even tried to shock him, but through his anger, sadism, and pain a new strength grew. He strapped her down to a machine and even though she kicked and thrashed, the machine was able to transfer the energy into a controlled beam facing the sky.

"Loki! No, Loki!" She screamed at him, the truth boiling up in her, "If you do this! The Realms with collapse on each other. Everyone will be torn to little pieces of stardust. You don't know what you're doing, Loki! LOKI, STOP!"

Loki, who disappeared now to go take care of the people who were determined to stop him, did not hear her pleas. The portal above her head grew wider and wider as Loki's army arrived in Midgard.

Tessa shut her eyes and let out one more, "Loki!" before attempting to struggle at her bonds or ruin the device she sat in. But she had to be honest. If her Midgard pals, didn't do something, things looked very grim for the existence of them all.


	10. The Silver Liquid

Tessa's overly expanded mind could only focus on one thing right now: closing the portal. It felt like her head was splitting in half. She was trying to shut a doorway that was being forced open from the other side. Loki's army swarmed through the open hole in the sky. Below her, Loki battled Thor in a meaningful and emotional fight. Tessa smiled at the sight of the brothers' brawl. It was like old times. Looking around, she saw buildings breaking to bits.

She shut her eyes and tried to not listen to the sounds of people dying. When she opened her eyes again, her current situation had not changed. She thought quickly and knew if she was to do anything it would be dangerous. Fighting the urge to not be reckless, she stood up. It felt like a giant magnetic pull was forcing her back down. She felt her back come into contact with the device again. Pain rippled through her body and she let out a growl of anguish. Tessa pulled away again, but was slammed backwards, hitting her head on the machine.

She silently whispered a word Tony had taught her and reached around to feel the wound. She brought her hand in front of her and observed the silver liquid with a curious look on her face. She wiped it off on the very ripped pair of jeans. Balling her hands into fists she stood up one more time and staggered a few steps.

She turned around to look at the machine, but was careful not to be forced back into it. She held out her hands, palms facing the machine. It felt like her body was on fire. She didn't care. It felt like her bones were turning to dust. She paid no attention. Instead she turned all of her attention to her energy fields. Letting out a cry of pain, the blue light flooded off of her fingertips and onto the machine. She watched through squinted eyes as a copy of the Tesseract cube had formed.

When she was done, she could still feel the power within, but it felt greatly diminished. For the first time she felt fatigue. She let out a gasp and looked around. Loki was still occupied with Thor, Chitauri flew in from the portal, and Steve Rogers was fighting alongside Natasha Romanoff. The only change that taken place was the she was now physically free from Loki's bonds, even if he kept her powers locked tightly in the blue cube.

She took a moment and stared at it. Her powers had started this great war. No. She tried not to blame herself for her past. She needed to get on the ground and help out this planet. She stood on the edge of the building.

Should she jump? Something crashed into the building and the skyscraper shook. Without a choice, Tessa was thrown from the building. She silently willed what remains of her energy to protect her. She landed in a squat with one fist on the ground. The concrete rippled away from her like water and cars on the street rolled backwards from her.

Tessa slowly stood up and massaged her aching jaw. Silver liquid oozed from the fresh cuts on her body. She was weakening. However, she knew it was only a matter of time before this form depleted completely. She looked forward to the day where she could reveal everything to S.H.I.E.L.D. They were going to need it.

She ran over to where Captain America and Black Widow were fighting.

"Steve Rogers!" She shouted at him. Her hair whipped around her face as a car blew by her.

"Tessa?" He paused from fighting and turned to her. She nodded at him. He threw his shield, killed some aliens, and caught his weapon again. He turned to her again, "But if you're here, how is the portal still open?"

"It's a long story, but I'm here to help," she approached him and ducked as Black Widow fired a gun at some Chitauri. Fury's voice rang through Natasha's headpiece.

"We got something for her in the helicarrier. Our top scientists that haven't been kidnapped were working on it. It'll help," his voice sounded relieved. Tessa, who heard the statements with her power, nodded at Black Widow and grabbed the magic from her hair again. She knew what Fury was talking about and she knew exactly where to go. Back to the plane it is.


	11. Warrior's Death

Tessa arrived in a smaller room of the helicarrier. Quickly, she allowed her close-to-mortal eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Looking to the left she saw a glass case containing multiple guns and other weapons. To the right, the small wall showed evidence of once having mounted arms as well, but someone had taken them down for usage. She turned back to the side of the room in front of her and across from the door. Looking from left to right she realized these were where they kept the Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Captain America suits. But there was something new sitting there.

On the far right, next to the empty storage lockers, sat a metallic silver cat suit. And immediately, she knew it was hers. She reached out to it and noted that there was no glass. Scientists had been pulling it out to work on it for all of the days that she was here, so a glass door would have only gotten in the way.

She quickly put it on and it fit perfectly, clinging to her pale skin. Tessa's suspicions were confirmed. It wasn't just a metallic jumpsuit. It was woven with little circuits made of copper, iron, silver, and a hint of vibranium for protection. It would maximize her energy.

She rolled out the drawer underneath where she found the suit and out came a pair of blue boots and matching gloves. Again, the gloves were also made to maximize her powers and she slipped them on, they were long enough to go past her elbows. Then she put on the blue boots. They were comfy, but she guessed that they were only for show since there wasn't anything of significance that jumped out at her.

She saw that there was nothing else so she again teleported back to the ground. She knelt on the asphalt and felt sick. She was using her remaining energy alright, and she didn't feel good about it. Tessa thought hard about her situation. Brought to her knees with illness because of Loki. She wouldn't have it. Regaining her strength she stood up again and rushed back over to Steve. He stared at her new outfit.

He approved with a nod and was so busy staring he was knocked off his feet by an approaching alien. Angrily, Tessa fired a blast of energy towards him. It hit the enemy, but the blast was powerful it was evident she had harmed Rogers. She ran over to where he stood and she let out a gasp. He was seriously injured.

"Rogers. Stay with us," she cupped his face in her gloved hands. She couldn't lose a soldier. His eyelids fluttered open and close as he watched her.

"Warriors die in battle, Steve Rogers, but you have proven yourself a friend. You are fighting this battle with me now. Not for me," she continued. Grief plowed through her mind, but she shoved it away. She had to keep a clear head. In fact, she grimaced at how human she had become.

"For you?" He sputtered out, his wounds inflicting burning pain at each breath. Tessa looked at him with sorry eyes. Grief had been easy to deflect, but her stomach twisted as she felt a newer emotion. It was guilt. And something else in there, messing with her mind. A bit of anger, yes, but something else and she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Rogers," she breathed. Oh. She knew what she felt. It was panic. Alarm swept through her. She did enjoy being rash, didn't she.

"Rogers, I can help you, but you have to pay close attention. It will hurt at first, but I'm going to expand your mind," she waited for him to respond before continuing, but he made no motions, so she went on with it. She place her hand on his heart and she could feel it struggling to beat underneath her. She shook all rational thoughts from her head and stared straight into his eyes.

First she read him. Then she allowed him to scan her. She transferred knowledge. The power from the Tesseract. She transferred life. His eyes burned a passionate blue color similar to that of the Tesseract. He gasped and then his breath returned to him. He coughed and sat up allowing a normal heart rate. He knew everything now. He knew the truths. About the Realms. About the Tesseract. About freedom.

He didn't like it. Steve Rogers tried to fight back and grasp his own conscious, but her power was too strong. It hurt him, but he finally accepted that she was trying to help. She wrinkled her eyebrows at him and nodded with a sympathetic smile. She leaned down and whispered something into his ear.

The only thing Tessa didn't count on was Clint Barton observing the whole thing from where he perched on a nearby building. And she didn't consider that he would have the odacity to fire an arrow directly towards her. She didn't think that helping Steve would come off as similar to the enemy's actions. And that Barton didn't take kindly to people who harmed his team.


	12. Bedtime Stories

Tessa slowly stood up and admired her handiwork. Steve Rogers sat up and stared at her.

"I didn't know you were…" he whispered.

"And now you do," she cut him off and smiled down at him as she offered a hand to help him up. Just as he took it, she fell onto him. An arrow stuck out of the back of her neck and silver liquid began to flow from the wound. Steve yelped and jumped up, her body rolling off of him. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew that her blood was abnormal. Not allowing any of the sticky substance to touch his flesh he looked up at the top of the nearby building. A very angry-looking Hawkeye lowered his bow and stared at Captain America. Steve's eyes still glowed blue despite Tessa's immediate loss of power.

"Did everyone see that? Because I will not be doing that again," Ironman landed nearby after just performing his 'Jonah and the Whale' strategy. His suit was extremely low on power. He stopped short as he saw the silver-clad woman laying on the ground.

Black Widow came over as well, sweat dripping off her face. Thor flew in from above and landed with a thud. However he didn't shake the ground nearly as much as the Hulk who swooped down with Hawkeye in his arms. All near enemies seemed to shrink away from the group and the rest of the aliend were frantically flying back to their base on the other side of space.

"In case you forgot, birdbrain," Tony jabbed a metal finger at Hawkeye, "She's on our side."

"No," said Steve and Clint at the same time.

"She was controlling Steve. I saw it happen. She did exactly the same Loki was doing to me," argued the assassin as he shuddered at the memory.

"She wasn't controlling me she was saving my life. She was showing me the truth. I know now, what we've done. She wasn't on our side…"

Barton opened his mouth to let out an _I knew it_, but Thor threw Hawkeye to the ground, scattering all of his remaining arrows. Captain America continued.

"She wasn't on our side. We were on hers."

"What?" Tony spoke, asking the only question that came to mind.

"The Tesseract is the main source of power for all Nine Realms. With the Tesseract gone, the portal will collapse upon itself and the entire universe is going to be ripped apart into stardust," Thor explained.

"So you knew?" Asked Natasha, with a look that could take down any amount of men. Thor stood his ground.

"As a child, we were told stories, much the like the children here in Midgard, I suppose. But my brother and I had always been told the tale of how our father, Odin Allfather, had slayed the FrostGiants and stole the power source from Jotunheim. And I thought that was the whole story, but once we discovered my brother's true heritage, well, I started doubting the fantastic tale."

"What does this have to do with the Tesseract?" Natasha asked. Just then the ground started to shake. The Hulk looked around and growled.

"If we don't do something soon, a lot of people are going to die," Steve Rogers piped in. And it was his concern that left everyone silent. He wasn't 'enlightened' in the way Loki meant. He was truly reflecting the power of the Tesseract. As if to emphasize his words, the rumbling of the ground increased.

Tony was the first to move. He nodded his head and scooped Tessa up, pulling the arrow out of her neck. Silver liquid dripped onto his Ironman suit and the circuits of her jumpsuit rubbed against his armor with bright sparks.

"_Power levels up six-hundred percent. Seven-hundred percent_," The voice of JARVIS rang inside the metal suit. The blood from Tessa's wound pumped energy through his suit.

"Meet me on the roof of Stark Tower. It's time to end this once and for all," Tony ordered the rest of the team as he flew into the air. He struggled to balance with the extra-weight of the girl, but he quickly regained and flew over to the skyscraper with his name.


End file.
